Indigenous Democratic Network

Bill Richardson, fresh from his diplomatic success in North Korea, is now the only Presidential Candidate of either party to actively work with Indian Country. He has agreed to participate in Prez on the Rez, the forum in Indian Country sponsored by the Indigenous Democratic Network (INDN). From INDN:

Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, the first presidential candidate to commit to Prez on the Rez, recorded a brief message to the supporters of the INDN's List Education Fund and interested Indians throughout the country.

In his message, Governor Richardson outlines why he was eager to be the first candidate committed to Prez on the Rez and the importance of national leaders reaching out to Indian Country.

We expect the other presidential candidates to commit very soon. Of course, if they don't, it will send a strong message to all American Indians that the candidate in question might not be committed to changing the way Washington deals with Indian Country. Stay tuned for updates.

Meanwhile, Prez on the Rez continues to generate positive attention throughout Indian Country and newsmedia across the nation. The event merited coverage in the New York Times political blog, and has received extensive coverage in the Southern California region in which it will be held.

In 2006, the Indigneous Democratic Network, set up by Kalyn Free of the Choctaw Nation, helped elect an unprecedented number of Native Americans across America. They continue to strengthen the voice of Native Americans in politics. They are working to set up forums for the Presidential Candidates on Reservations (called Prez on the Rez). Bill Richardson is the first candidate to commit to participte in these forums and the idea is supported by Howard Dean, head of the DNC. The first such forum is being planned for the Morongo Reservation in California.

We are excited to announce that we have selected the Morongo Band of Mission Indians in Cabazon, California to host Prez on the Rez on August 23, 2007.

“No major presidential campaign event has ever come to Indian Country,” said Morongo Tribal Chairman Robert Martin. “This represents a historic opportunity for this country's First Americans to take a direct role in the future of America by holding a national level forum for presidential candidates. We couldn't be more proud to make history for Indian Country by hosting this extraordinary event.”

The announcement, and the official launch of Prez on the Rez, was held in conjunction with the winter executive meeting of the National Congress of American Indians in Washington, DC. In a speech at that meeting, Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico became the first presidential candidate to commit to Prez on the Rez.

Looks like for one of the first times ever, candidates for President will be meeting with Native American leaders to discuss "Indian Country" and to beg for support. This largely unprecedented event is thanks to the organizing ability of Kalyn Free of the Choctaw Nation and the organization she founded. This comes from the Indiginous Democratic Network (INDN):

INDN's List Education Fund will launch historic Prez on the Rez in Washington, DC, February 26, 2007, 5:00p.m.-7:00p.m. Click here to view invitation.

This August the Democratic candidates for President of the United States will be coming to Indian Country for an unprecedented forum on Indian issues. Prez on the Rez will bring together the Democratic candidates for President to address the future of Indian Country in front of thousands of tribal leaders, elected officials, INDN elected officials, tribal members, and activists. You can learn more by visiting www.prezontherez. org now.

One exciting feature of the website is the ability to submit suggested questions to be asked of the candidates at the forum. We want to ensure tribal leaders and tribal citizens have the chance to ask questions from Indian Country, about the issues that Indian people face.

We expect all the contenders to participate, including: Sens. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joseph Biden, and Christopher Dodd, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, former Sens. John Edwards and Mike Gravel, Govs. Bill Richardson and Tom Vilsack, and Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark.

I recently wrote about the latest example of stupid racist right wing lunacy in the case of Montana state Rep. Ed Butcher. Seems this red-neck, white trash idiot, in a recent legislative committee meeting, derided fellow legislator Democrat and Native American Jonathan Windy Boy (Chippewa Cree) by referring to the veteran lawmaker as “Chief Windy Boy” and inquiring whether he would wield his vice-chairman’s gavel as a “war club.” What is most amazing about this crap is that Butcher, rather than apologizing and saying it was just a bad joke, actually is going out of his way to defend his behavior, blaming the victim in the good old good-old-boy tradition.

This comes from the Indigenous Democratic Network (INDN):

INDN’s List spoke out this week against the racist and hurtful comments made by Rep. Butcher of Montana toward his fellow legislator, and friend of INDN, Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy. We want to thank the many of you that heeded our call to write Rep. Butcher and for sharing his response with us.

“You left-wing radicals should get a life with your ‘political (sic) correct nonsense!” opened Butcher in a form email to our concerned INDNs.

While the representative accuses Montana Democrats and INDN’s List of politicizing the issue, the only thing “political” is Butcher’s nasty politics-as- usual response to thoughtful, concerned citizens. We know better. There is no political gain in racism and bigotry, no political gain in perpetrating hateful myths and misguided stereotypes, no political gain in sheer disrespect for the values of average Americans.

So I have written about racism many times, both the "Angry White Man" Republican style of racism, and the "conveniently compassionate" liberal style of racism. Joe Biden seems to be putting his foot in his mouth these days making what sure sound like racist comments about Indian-Americans and Obama, but in his case he seems to just be really stupid about the jokes he makes and he apologizes afterwards. But the "Angry White Man" Republican style of racism seems far worse to me. You get an anti-Semitic pogrom in Delaware, blatantly racist Virginia politicians Virgil Goode, Jerry Kilgore and Bob McDonnell, and recently ousted Senator George Allen, and racism so blatant in Arizona even the national Republican Party abandoned a Congressional candidate.

Racism is a problem everywhere in America, including my own nice little liberal neighborhood of Park Slope, as I have written about before. But it really seems like racism is particularly bad in the Republican Party and often is defended by the Republican Party and their media lap dogs.

Well, it looks like a Republican in Minnesota is joining with the Republican candidates in AZ-8 (who was endorsed by former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke) and VA Senate (using racial slurs in public) and other Virginia Republicans in embracing racism. In this case the raism is fairly blatant in ads the Republican candidate for Minnesota's Attorney General position is airing.

From the Indigninous Democratic Network:

INDN’s List Condemns Republicans Racist AD in MN!
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Our mission and our message is continually undercut by latent prejudice and blatant misunderstanding. Politicians and the press portray Indians as crooks, gamblers, or alcoholics that either actively exploit government or as dupes fooled into supporting the spurious activities of others. In Minnesota, the Republican candidate for attorney general Jeff Johnson produced a television ad in which a fraud is foiled by the candidate’s ID theft legislation. The villain is a sinister-looking Indian. Elsewhere in Minnesota, a state house campaign is sending recorded phone calls warning that voters’ “skyrocketing property taxes” are directed toward the “increased welfare demands from the Red Lake Reservation.”

As a follow up on my recent article on Columbus Day and my thoughts about it I offer you a statement made by the Indigenous Democratic Network about Columbus Day. I want to emphasize that my viewpoint on America and Columbus is as someone whose family would have been killed in Europe had America not been here to receive us. But Native Americans will not have that viewpoint. Their viewpoint is just as legitimate as ours and should not be forgotten:

It’s Columbus Day – What are we celebrating for?

“We shall take you and your wives, and your children, and shall make slaves of them, … and we shall take away your goods, and shall do you all the mischief and damage that we can, … and we protest that the deaths and losses which shall accrue from this are your fault …”

-Christopher Columbus

Each October children in classrooms around the nation will dutifully recite their Columbus Day “facts”: the ships (“the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria…”), the year (“In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue...”), and even the fruit that the explorer thought best resembled the Earth (that would be the orange ). Our national leaders take time out of their busy schedules – raising money and covering up scandals – to commemorate the man who “found” America.